Written by Kathie Schey, City Archivist
From the earliest founding of our public library, children’s programs and services have been central to the library’s mission. The impetus for founding the City’s first library in 1909 was primarily to benefit the City’s young people, supplementing the few books the schools possessed with more and better materials. Even school children themselves donated their meager offerings to build it.
When the original building was replaced by a new library funded by the Carnegie Corporation in 1913, collections for children and youth grew, as did storytelling and other children’s programs. Using the library’s stereoscope (an instrument that helped combine two pictures taken from points of view a little way apart and thus to get the effect of solidity or depth), they were transported to sites across the globe through three-dimensional black and white images. The very popular stereoscope and its slides are still preserved in our archives. Huntington Beach High School students were so grateful for the librarian’s help with their school work, particularly the support received for the debate team, that they raised enough money to donate a grandfather clock – proudly displayed in the library’s foyer. The library was a gathering spot for many school-age groups, like the town’s Boy Scout Troop, who met in the basement.
A new library opened on Main Street in 1951, replacing the Carnegie. The children’s wing was nearly as large as all the other first-floor sections combined, and programming flourished! In addition to the beloved story times, special programs were offered – from knights and cowboys to rock collections and magic shows. Children’s programming continues today, as does the grandfather clock, now in a different case, complete with a plaque documenting its significance.
The Main Street Library remains listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Four other branches have since been added, each located to serve their respective communities best. It is no accident that branch libraries are located in parks and near schools for adults and young people, offering active children’s programming. For instance, Oakview’s collections and events – from reading programs to Lego Days – enrich the lives of its vibrant Spanish-speaking community.
Since opening in 1975, our Central Library’s children and youth programs have consistently been enormously popular. Children regularly sat in the horseshoe-shaped “storytelling steps,” listening with rapt attention. The need for more space became so great that in 1994, an entire new wing was built. It now houses what has often been regarded as the largest children’s library west of the Mississippi and the Tabby Theatre, home to many children’s programs – the original ”storytelling steps” now lay underneath the Genealogy Society stacks. Special events are held consistently throughout the year and are nearly always filled as happy children, parents, and guardians with strollers line up for these programs.
The community is proud that our Central Library has been named “Best Storytime” in Orange County by Reader’s Choice voting of Parenting OC Magazine for the second year in a row! The latest in over a century of wonderful library services to our children!
